Another one bites the dust

While the passing of my mother signified the end of an era, news reached us today that Shell are looking to offload their conference centre and members club at The Lensbury in Teddington.

This facility has been like a second London home to me and my friends and family for nigh on 35 years and it would be the end of another era if it where to be passed over to a faceless hotel chain or fitness club. It is an interesting combination of facilities. There are conference rooms, hotel rooms, treatment rooms and dining rooms as well as a health club, spa and numerous children oriented spaces.

There are two rugby pitches, a dozen tennis courts, squash courts and sailing facilities as well as a serious weights room, a gym and two swimming pools. It does not fit easily into any organisations portfolio so one can see why Shell are looking to offload it.

We have used it as our base for rugby weekends ever since we sold Silver Crescent, and even before that we would always take the children whenever we could. It was 50p per day per child, and we are still only paying £20 a month for membership.

I await developments with interest but fear the worst for this little home from home we have made such good use of for all those years.

Furrers Rundon Pride

What a shock to the system as I just hear on the news that Fuller, Smith and Turner, makers of London Pride, has just sold it's brewing business to Asahi, a Japanese brewing organisation. They have committed to continue brewing at the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick and the Fullers estate of pubs and hotels will continue to serve it, it just comes as a surprise when the brand has been doing so well for many,  many years.

I completed the Fullers Passport many years ago and got a couple of ceramic pint mugs and a flagon as a prize, and have been drinking the beer since I moved to London in 1971. The Fuller's owners do say that the wet trade only accounts for 13% of their turnover and the share price went up 22% today so I guess it was a good bit of business for them.

A little known fact about the brewery and the local area is that the football ground soon to be vacated by Brentford is called Griffin Park because the brewery deposited the clinker from their furnaces there before the football ground was constructed on the site. The new Brentford ground is being constructed a stones throw from my previous abode in Silver Crescent. I just hope the brewery continues to be a local community landmark for many years to come.

Cheers!

CSI Chiswick

Boum! Boum!
Well High Noon met the Shootout at the OK Corral on Saturday night, as a gun fight exploded at the end of Silver Crescent, sending passers by diving for cover, and my Indian takeaway driver unable to get to my door.

It was all quite strange as we heard what appeared to be a series of hammering sounds on the door, then the takeaway man rang to say he could not get down the street. I wandered casually up the road to be confronted by an armed response team and police vehicles everywhere. 'Mind how you go' was all they said as I recovered my evening meal and sauntered back home.

Apparently two men had leaped from a car and chased a third man past the Moran Hotel, shooting him as they went. He then hid in Silver Crescent until they left, before fleeing to Charing Cross Hospital where he was treated for wounds to the arm. There was a fair amount of claret splashed on the pavement so he must have been in some pain.

The two attackers drove off up the North Circular Road, and as yet they remain at large.

All this should see house prices plummet in the area, and just when I thought there might be some positive developments with mine. I had accepted an offer from people in Dubai but their finances seem to have gone pear shaped suddenly, and a couple who saw the place for the third time at the weekend are disagreeing about putting in an offer. She loves it, he is not so keen.....anyway, I will give it to August and if nobody comes in for it, I will take it of the market. There is certainly a shortage of good two bedroomed flats in the area so why move into a hovel for the sake of moving eh?......